Emergency alerts on your phone

Emergency Alerts is a UK government system that gives warning and advice in a life-threatening emergency. GOV.UK gives wildfires, severe flooding and extreme storms as examples. Alerts are sent only by the emergency services and by government departments, agencies and public bodies that deal with emergencies.

How an alert reaches you

Mobile phone masts in the area of the emergency broadcast the alert, and every compatible phone or tablet in range receives it. The government does not need your phone number or location, and no data about you, your device or your location is collected or shared. You get alerts based on where you are at the time, not where you live or work, and you do not need location services turned on. Alerts are free, with nothing to sign up for and no app to download.

Which phones

Alerts work on all 4G and 5G networks in the UK, on iPhones running iOS 14.5 or later and on Android phones and tablets running Android 11 or later. GOV.UK asks you to keep the software up to date. An earlier Android version may still receive alerts; search the device settings for "emergency alerts" to check. You will not get an alert if the device is turned off, on a 2G or 3G network, wifi only, or not compatible, and you may not get one in airplane mode.

What happens

The phone may make a loud siren-like sound even if set to silent, vibrate, and read the alert out. The sound and vibration last about ten seconds. The alert includes a phone number or a link to GOV.UK for more information. In Wales, alerts may also be sent in Welsh. If you have a vision or hearing impairment, the audio and vibration signals will reach you if accessibility notifications are enabled on the device.

Be Ready suggests taking a screenshot so you can find it again; past alerts are also listed at https://www.gov.uk/alerts/current-alerts.

What to do

Stop what you are doing and follow the instructions in the alert. Do not read or respond to an alert while driving or riding. Find somewhere safe and legal to stop first; if there is nowhere to stop and nobody else in the vehicle can read it, listen to news on live radio.

Scams

The service will never email you or ask for personal details, so an email claiming to be from it could be phishing. Report anything suspicious at https://www.gov.uk/report-suspicious-emails-websites-phishing.

If you cannot receive alerts

GOV.UK says people without a compatible device will still be informed: the emergency services have other ways to warn of a threat to life, and Emergency Alerts do not replace local news, radio, television or social media. Be Ready's advice for people with sensory impairments is to ask friends, family or a support network to alert you and keep you informed.

Warnings you do have to sign up for

Be Ready's alerts and warnings page lists the other systems:

• Flood warnings for a home or business at risk of flooding, at https://www.gov.uk/get-flood-warnings. If you have a disability or need extra help, Floodline on 0345 988 1188 can arrange for warnings to go to a friend or relative on your behalf.
• The UKHSA Weather-Health Alerting System for heat and cold in England, at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/weather-health-alerting-system.
• Met Office email alerts and warnings, at https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/news-and-media/media-centre/subscribe-to-email-alerts.
• Air quality forecasts and alerts, at https://check-air-quality.service.gov.uk/.
• Some Local Resilience Forums offer their own local alerts; find yours at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-resilience-forums-contact-details.